Athletic ball.



G'. L. PIERCE.

ATHLETIC BALL. APPLICAUON FILED 02c. 23. 19M.

1,171,238, 7 Patented Feb. 8,1916.

Aiteatf: I 1134549122501:-

- Gieoye LJ L'erce Alay.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE L. PIERCE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO A. G. SPALDING & BROS. MFG. 00., OE JERSEY CITY, JERSEY, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ATHLETIC BALL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, 1916.

Application filed December 23, 1914. Serial No. 878,771.

To all whom it may conce n:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. PIERCE, a citizen of the United States, residingv at borough of Brooklyn, New York, P. 0. address, 507 Eleventh street, Brooklyn, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Athletic Balls, of which the following is a specification.

My said invention relates to improvements in the leather outer covers or shells of inflated athletic balls such for example as foot balls, basket balls and the like.

In the art to which this invention relates, it is well known that the outer covers or shells of leather inflated balls have a tendency to stretch in such a manner that the balls lose their spherical or oval shape. This tendency to stretch increases as the size of the ball is increased. In order to partially overcome this tendency it' has been customary to use for said outer cover or shellv either a thick or heavy leather which is costly and dillicult to manipulate, or to line each of the panels individually with am extra heavy duck or canvas cloth.

My invention aims to make it possible to construct a leather inflated ball having'an outer cover or shell of a lighter or thinner grade of leather and with a lighter lining, and at the same time to overcome in a greater degree than has been possible heretofore the tendency to stretch, above referred to. I

The invention includes the novel features of construction and arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and particularly defined by the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section through such a ball; and Fig. 2 is a planview of one of the panels.

Referring by reference characters to this drawing the letter A designates the outer cover or shell composed of a plurality of sections A of the desired shape, and having the usual opening A for the insertion of the bladder. These sections A are united by having inturned abutting edges a, stitched together in the customary manner. In

order to strengthen this outer cover or shell and prevent stretching and thereby permit lighter or thinner leather to be employed, I provide a plurality of reinforcing strips of inextensible material, such for instance as inelastic or non-stretchable cotton webblng or tape, running longitudinally and transversely and indicated respectively at C and D.

I find it preferable to use a fabric lining E, for the outer shell made in sections corresponding to the sections of the shell, and when this is used the preferred manner of securing the reinforcing strips is to first cement and then sew said strips to the lining of each individual panel, allowing the ends to project slightly beyond the edges thereof. One or more strips are placed so as to run longitudinally of the panel and one or more strips being placed so as to run crosswise,

or transversely of the panel.

In the example shown in the drawing,.I have placed one strip longitudinally of each panel or section and five strips crosswise, but it is obvious that more or less may be used as the circumstances of the particular case or type of ball may require. These strips are preferably placed so that they will lie between the lining and the leather of said outer cover or shell, and are so shown in the drawing. After the application of the strips, as aforesaid, the construction of said outer cover or shell may, then proceed following the usual methods employed in the art, except that care should be exercised to see that the ends of the strips'of cotton web project beyond and are included in the stitching uniting the respective panels of said outer cover or shell,. as indicated at a. Any loose ends which "project beyond the edges of the respective panels are trimmed ofl flush therewith. I preferably placed the strips running crosswise with the panels so that the strips of adjacent panels will come opposite or in line with each other. The strips which I have found suitable have been of inextensible cotton'webbing about three-fourths of an inch wide. It is obvious however, that the strips may be of any other suitable non-elastic material and may be of greater or less width, as circumstances may require.

It will be understood that while I have described an embodiment of my invention with considerable particularity, I do not limit myself as to the particular form, dimensions, arrangement of parts or the materials thereof, as these may be modified as circumstances may require.

The ball is made up of four sections or strips such as shown in Fig. 2. Each of these strips, however, may be divided at their narrowest part at the point adjacent the reference character C in Fi 2. Two of the strips, such as shown in ig. 2, are arranged adjacent each other along their edges corresponding to the upper edge shown in said Fig. 2, and these two strips make up one-half of the cover. The other two strips are spaced at, right angles to those first mentioned, and are united together, and also they are united to the edges of the strips first mentioned. The ball, in its complete form, is made up so far as the disposition of its panels is concerned, in a manner generally similar to that of an ordinary baseball, in which two pieces in the shape of a figure 8 are arranged at right angles to each other. In the present case it requires two panels, such as shown in Fig. 2, to make up one member of the general form of a figure 8, and two other panels make up the other member, and these are disposed, when the ball is completed, at ri ht angles to each other.

t will be observed that with my invention each panel is supplied with its lining and reinforcing strips before it isv assembled with the other panels to make upthe ball. This operation can be performed by handling the panels in their flat form shown in Fig. 2, and applying the lining with the strips thereto as one body and at one cementing operation. In detail, therefore, it may be pointed out that the lining is first supplied with the reinforcing strips and preferably by sewing these parts together, and an ordinary sewing machine can be used for doing this, and the piece or lining bein handled as an ordinary piece of fabric, and after the reinforcing strips are applied to the lining it is takenas a whole, that is, with the attached reinforcing strips, and is cemented to the panel and with the ends of the strips projecting. These projecting ends, in effect, serve to connect one section of the lining'with its reinforcing strips with the adjacent sections because, by including these projecting ends in the seams and securing them by stitching which unites the panels, the effect is to form a connection between the linings and strips individual to the respective panels. The lining.

of panels each of which has individual thereto a series of strips of suitable material running longitudinally and crosswise thereof and attached to adjacent panels.

3. An inflatable athletic ball having an outer cover or shell comprising a plurality of panels each provided with its own strips of suitable inextensible material running longitudinally and crosswise thereof, and projectin into the seams and included in the stitching at said seams which unites the panels of said outer cover or shell.

4. An athletic ball having an outer cover or shell comprisin a plurality of anels having a lining 0. suitable materia with reinforcing strips sewn along their. body portions to said lining and running longitudinally and crosswise of the panels of said ball and projecting into the seams and included in the stitching at said seams which unites the panels of said outer cover or shell.

5. An inflatable athletic ball having an outer cover or shell comprising a plurality of panels each having individual thereto a lining of suitable material with reinforcing strips of cotton webbing individual to each lining sewn thereto, running longitudinally and crosswise thereof projecting into the seams and included in the stitching at said seams which unites the panels of said outer cover or shell.

6. An inflatable athletic ball having an outer cover or shell comprising a plurality of sections or panels, each of which has a lining individual thereto, and reinforcing strips of cotton webbing individual to the linings, secured thereto, and projecting beyond the same and being secured by the stitching uniting the said panels.

7. An inflatable athletic ball having an outer cover or shell comprising a. plurality of panels of leather, each provided with a series of strips of suitable non-elastic material running longitudinally and crosswise thereof, and projecting into the seams and included in the stitching at said seams which unite the panels of said outer cover or shell.

8. An inflatable athletic ball having an outer cover or shell comprising a plurality of panels of leather each having individual thereto a lining of suitable material with reinforcing stri s of non-elastic cotton webbing lndivi ual to each linin sewn thereto, running longitudinally an crosswise thereof, projectin into the seams and included in thestitc in at said seams which unite the panels 0 said outer cover or shell.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE L. PIERCE.

Witnesses H. BOARDMAN SPAIDING, FRANCIS G. Courns. 

